Boil Water Advisory Issued After Fecal Matter Found In Sunrise Water

A boil water notice is in effect for Lighthouse Point residents until Sunday morning. (Source: AP)

A boil water notice is in effect for Lighthouse Point residents until Sunday morning. (Source: AP)

SUNRISE (CBS4)- Health officials placed the entire City of Sunrise and portions of Weston and Davie under boil water orders on Friday. The move comes after E.coli bacteria was found in a sample of tap-water.

The boil water order is in effect for residents of Sunrise; residents in Weston, specifically in Bonaventure and Indian Trace; residents in Davie, specifically residents west of University Drive; and this also affects all residents in Southwest Ranches.

Officials said that the order is for all residents of Broward County who are served by the City of Sunrise Water Utility area, according to Candy Sims of the Broward County Health Department.

A spokesperson for the City of Sunrise said approximately 200,000 customers in the Sunrise Water Utility Service Area are affected

A notice sent by the city said the water system detected fecal indicators in one of the city’s wells, and that well was removed from service. The notice said, “One assessment sample in our drinking water distribution system for the month of July was positive for coliform bacteria, but negative for E. coli. A trigger sample following the assessment sample in this well was positive for E. coli. As required by EPA’s Ground Water Rule, one of our follow up steps is to collect additional samples from this well, and from the distribution system, within 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem. This sampling began on July 15.”

Officials recommend that residents should bring all water to a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using it. That should kill bacteria in the water.

It is also recommended to use bottled water as well, including when “drinking, making ice, preparing food, and washing dishes until further notice,” according to the order.

If the water is not boiled the organisms can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and associated headaches.